mama2cntrykids Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 We're coming up on learning about India in MFW CtG and I was wondering if anyone knows of any good historical fiction that is a good read for an 11 yr. old. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Kim might be a bit hard. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Homeless Bird. Gloria Whelan writes a real gem in this one. I pre-read it for dd's history curriculum, and really liked it. Perfectly appropriate for 11yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I know there are at least two G.H. Henty books about India. Can't remember the specific titles right now, though. Some missionary bios might be good. The Trailblazer series are historical fiction blended with biography. Probably easy reading for an 11 yo, but good stories. Not highest quality literature but not junk either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Time period, please? Gay Neck is on our list for modern times: http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/787005/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 We're coming up on learning about India in MFW CtG and I was wondering if anyone knows of any good historical fiction that is a good read for an 11 yr. old. Thanks! Daughter of the Mountain was a favorite of ours. It starts in Nepal, but the heroine travels down through India chasing men who stole her beloved dog. So the book reads like a travelogue of India. Homeless Bird is also good. Shiva's Fire by Staples is set in India, but I haven't read that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Homeless Bird.Gloria Whelan writes a real gem in this one. I pre-read it for dd's history curriculum, and really liked it. Perfectly appropriate for 11yo. Love this book. We used it last year for my 11 year old. It's one of those books that has really stuck with me. I think of it quite often. I have Shiva's Fire, but we never got to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My only contribution to this debate is that my abiding love for MM Kaye's The Ordinary Princess has always made me want to read her Indian historical epic The Far Pavilions, which is about a boy your son's age. I haven't read it, but I can testify that Kaye is a wonderful writer! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Far_Pavilions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I haven't read these, and I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, but here's one called "The Adventures of Young Krishna, the Blue God of India" by D. Dalal Clayton. I can't find any summary or reviews on Amazon, but on Google Books, which I'm linking here, there are previews of it: http://books.google.com/books?id=X_6gwo-t8QMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Krishna#v=onepage&q=Krishna&f=false There's also a 159 pg book called "Storm Over Blue Hills" by A.C. Jenkins which "traces a boy's journey across India as he searches for a sacred buffalo bell stolen from his tribe," but, again, there is no information available for it on Amazon...no reviews or anything, and we haven't actually read it (it's just in a suggested list of optional/extra reading in our Oak Meadow book on the chapter on ancient India). But maybe your library would have them or could get them through interlibrary loan so you could check them out. The rest of the suggested stuff in my OM book was either books of tales like "Just So Stories" or "Jataka Tales" or informational books like "What Do We Know About Buddhism?" "...Hinduisum?" "...Sikhism?" etc, so that's all I've got! P.S. Oh, also we're currently finishing up "The Ramayana, A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic" by R.K. Narayan. It's a Penguin Classics book, 157 pages, so you could look into that one, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julikins Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have a book called "Rickshaw Girl" but I haven't pre-read it yet. We also have one about Mother Theresa, but I can't remember the name. You could do a search on books about MOther Teresa though, and probably find some good biographies about her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Here are some: Anni's India Diary Tales from India Nur Jahan of India (The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses) Indira Gandhi: Daughter of India (Lerner Biographies) India: Land of Six Senses and Intriguing Mystery! Homeless Bird Twenty Jataka Tales Mother Teresa (Great Figures in History series) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 My only contribution to this debate is that my abiding love for MM Kaye's The Ordinary Princess has always made me want to read her Indian historical epic The Far Pavilions, which is about a boy your son's age. I haven't read it, but I can testify that Kaye is a wonderful writer! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Far_Pavilions :iagree: The Far pavilions is really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Here are some:Twenty Jataka Tales Mother Teresa (Great Figures in History series) One or both of my kids has read the above as well as this one: http://www.amazon.com/Tusk-Stone-Malcolm-Bosse/dp/188691074X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327417865&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Ack...we're studying ancient India. What would be good? I plan on him writing a summary when he's done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Ack...we're studying ancient India. What would be good? I plan on him writing a summary when he's done. Like the PP mentioned, "Jataka Tales" is a good start. It's similar to Aesops fables, but set in India. I would suggest you dig deep into Indian mythology. The stories are highly complex and very very engaging. The setting and the culture might be a little 'alien' at times, but like all ancient civilisations, it's almost impossible to separate mythology from the culture--it's very interwoven. Start with "Ramayana". http://www.amazon.com/Ramayana-Shortened-Version-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039679/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327456860&sr=8-1 It's about an "avatar". A heroic, noble and upright human representation(Lord Rama) of the supreme Hindu lord- Vishnu. The epic is also about the victory of good over evil and doing ones duty. You cannot go wrong with any of the mythological stories though. "Mahabharatha" is a tome. More so than the "Illiad". The characters are innumerable and the story spans several centuries. http://www.amazon.com/Puffin-Mahabharata-Namita-Gokhale/dp/0143330489/ref=pd_vtp_b_6 P.S.- I'm Indian and there are themes that probably shock Europeans/Americans, that we take as a cutural norm for that era. Polygamy is a given and a norm in mythology. You might want to start by prefacing Indian mythology by explaining social norms in ancient cultures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted January 26, 2012 Author Share Posted January 26, 2012 Like the PP mentioned, "Jataka Tales" is a good start. It's similar to Aesops fables, but set in India. I would suggest you dig deep into Indian mythology. The stories are highly complex and very very engaging. The setting and the culture might be a little 'alien' at times, but like all ancient civilisations, it's almost impossible to separate mythology from the culture--it's very interwoven. Start with "Ramayana". http://www.amazon.com/Ramayana-Shortened-Version-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039679/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327456860&sr=8-1 It's about an "avatar". A heroic, noble and upright human representation(Lord Rama) of the supreme Hindu lord- Vishnu. The epic is also about the victory of good over evil and doing ones duty. You cannot go wrong with any of the mythological stories though. "Mahabharatha" is a tome. More so than the "Illiad". The characters are innumerable and the story spans several centuries. http://www.amazon.com/Puffin-Mahabharata-Namita-Gokhale/dp/0143330489/ref=pd_vtp_b_6 P.S.- I'm Indian and there are themes that probably shock Europeans/Americans, that we take as a cutural norm for that era. Polygamy is a given and a norm in mythology. You might want to start by prefacing Indian mythology by explaining social norms in ancient cultures. Thank you so much for all of the info! I really apprecite it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Thank you so much for all of the info! I really apprecite it!! My pleasure :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Great thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 lots og great new titles for me to look at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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